


Of Friends and Rivals (And Lovers)

by vrepit_nah



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attentive Keith (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Black Paladin Keith (Voltron), Confused Keith (Voltron), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gay Disaster Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Homesick Lance (Voltron), Homesickness, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Langst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith/Lance (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Red Paladin Lance (Voltron), Sad, Sad Lance (Voltron), makeout
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vrepit_nah/pseuds/vrepit_nah
Summary: Lance McClain has a big family, and that means no one is really ever alone in a room at any point of time. This becomes unnatural for him to feel when he’s in space in a huge castle with barely any people. So, he tries to fill the hole in his heart by seeking out his teammates and lounging around them.It strikes Keith odd one day when Lance begins hanging out with him instead of his other friends, and worst of all, it seems like Lance is caving in on himself without anyone noticing.Or: 5 times Lance seeks out to hang out with a friend, and the one time he doesn’t.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 1069
Collections: Voltron Stars🌌





	Of Friends and Rivals (And Lovers)

_ (i) _

Keith never truly understood the dynamics of family until he had Voltron. The Paladins were more than just teammates, more than just friends. They considered each other family, and sure sometimes the commitment was tough, but it worked out as Keith took the spot of goth child. Keith found it difficult to communicate with the others like Lance could with Hunk over movies and shows. He could never bond with Pidge over technology and software; he could not at all connect with Allura or Coran because one of them was more like a leader figure than a friend, and the other was a little too excitable and eccentric to truly connect with. But despite every clash, he was accepted into this family and he somehow had Lance McClain to thank for that.

Their rocky rivalry was the basis of their relationship, but it had morphed, evolved into something that Keith was proud of.  _ Friends _ . It sounded simple, but it meant the world to someone who found it so difficult to even look at someone without scaring them. Lance made it possible through two reasons—being annoyingly talkative and being able to get Keith to react. It was a superpower, really, and brought it with a semblance of normalcy. Still, whenever Lance did something cool or amazing, Keith was beaming with pride (on the inside; he could never let Lance’s ego grow) at his friend.

However, Keith realized one thing. He could never understand Lance. No matter how much he tried, the second he thought he had Lance figured out, the recently appointed Red Paladin did a one-eighty, and Keith was left in the dust. (That was another thing that filled Keith with joy. Lance was  _ his _ right-hand man. He loved it.)

So, when he strolled across Pidge’s room, happening to glance through the ajar door, he was surprised to see Lance in there as well, just casually chatting with Pidge, who looked like she wasn’t even paying attention. As he peeked in further, thoroughly confused at both their behaviours - because Pidge wasn’t annoyed nad Lance wasn’t bothered she wasn’t showing him attention - Keith realized Pidge was doing something on her computer, glasses perched at the edge of her nose and nodding as Lance ranted about…  _ Keith _ .

His heart raced as Lance gleefully gloated, “And he complimented me on my Altean broadsword, Pidge!”

“That’s great,” Pidge replied absently, not even looking up from where Lance propped his head on his folded arms, smiling at the distance.

Lance sighed, and Keith felt… nice? How does one describe the fluttering in his stomach that he wanted to take a knife to and slash at? Still, the Red Paladin continued, oblivious to the eavesdropper. “He’s gonna teach me to use it properly tomorrow.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just hope I don’t screw up or embarrass myself in front of him. Quiznak, that’d be horrible.”

“ _ Mm-hm _ .”

“Should I practise now? Maybe get a bit of a head start so I don’t seem so inexperienced?” Lance didn’t even bother getting a response, choosing to nuzzle his head on Pidge’s lap like a kitten. Her arms stretched across him as she typed on the keyboard. He looked up at Pidge critically. “You’re right, I’m too lazy.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed. If it had been him, Lance would’ve pestered him till he responded, but he just left Pidge like that? How was that fair?

The next day, Keith had found that Lance was absolutely  _ terrible  _ in wielding the broadsword, and he had to guide Lance through each stance. He wouldn’t admit every touch on Lance’s bare skin (the bastard wore a thin, revealing tank top) had felt like his fingers were burning, but when they wrapped up their practice, Keith had spotted Lance smiling smugly to himself as he walked out. He hadn’t questioned it.

_ (ii) _

The next time Keith found something odd, it was when he had just finished his intense training workout, had showered, and was looking forward to dinner. Usually, Hunk or Coran would announce that dinner was served over the PA system, but Keith had skipped lunch and was pretty hungry already, so he had draped a towel over his shoulder to soak up the water from his hair, put on his black t-shirt, and went to the kitchen area.

He could hear Hunk happily rambling on about Shay, his girlfriend or soon-to-be-girlfriend, but what caught his eye was the fact that of all people, Lance was sitting by the counter, listening to Hunk as he wrote something in a book. Upon further research, Keith had found out it was a coloring book he had snagged from the Unilu Space Mall, filled with pictures of alien birds and trees and rocks. Keith strode into the room, his cheeks turning red when Lance perked up and sent him a small smile before returning to his book, nodding when Hunk talked about Shay. He grabbed a snack and sat beside Lance, munching as he brought out a tablet, pretending to read something from it.

“You should’ve seen her, Lance,” Hunk swooned. “She had worn this awesome headgear and it looked so good on her.”

Lance grinned at his best friend. “Should’ve told her that before we left, buddy.”

Hunk froze from whisking the goo in a bowl. His shoulders tensed as he asked, “What if she doesn’t-“

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” Lance said, putting down his purple pencil and fixing Hunk with a firm stare. “You’re an absolute catch and she was so into you. Everyone’s into you.”

“That’s true, you did propose to me that time.”

Lance shrugged, staring at the collection of pencils and then at his picture which was a tree of purple leaves and black birds, picking up a random color. “Pity you’re straight.”

Keith had to physically stop himself from flinching.  _ Lance was into guys? _ His fingers gripped the tablet as Lance murmured, “Did you notice the way Shay lifted that boulder? She could bench-press me, and I’d be grateful.”

“ _ I _ could bench-press you,” Keith mumbled to himself. His ears turned pink as Lance turned to him with burning cheeks, his brown color pencil falling out of his hand. “Uh—”

Hunk interrupted their awkward encounter as he gushed. “I know, right? We should get her to the castle, maybe she can beat Allura’s record.”

Lance reluctantly turned back to his best friend, continuing his coloring. His ears were still red. “What else do you like about her? I need to know when I give the best man speech at your wedding.”

Hunk snorted, sliding the pan of goo into the equivalent of an oven. And then he kept talking about Shay, Shay this, Shay that, and Lance eagerly listened, laughing with Hunk or just keeping quiet as Hunk rambled on. From the corner of his eye, Keith watched Lance curiously. This is about the longest Lance had gone silent and it rubbed Keith in the wrong way. He only knew the loud, flamboyant Lance who liked to show off any chance he got, flirt with everyone (literally everyone, apparently. If given the chance, Lance would’ve made the moves on Zarkon.)

So, who was this quiet, patient Lance? Was it normal? Keith never experienced this Lance first-hand. He looked so content just staying silent to Hunk’s ramblings.

Keith snatched a green-colored pencil and began filling in the drawing, ignoring the way Lance narrowed his eyes. But then, his shoulders slumped, and he was moving his chair closer to Keith, sharing the book between them as they colored the picture, their hands brushing ever once in a while and sending shocks up Keith's arm. 

The Black Paladin could’ve sworn Lance would’ve taken the book away, claiming to get his own book, but Lance quietly shared it, and it was overwhelmingly confusing… yet nice. Felt  _ right _ , maybe to spend time quietly together. Warmth bloomed in his chest when Lance’s hand brushed against his when he coloured, and Keith wondered if Lance was a good person to talk to like he did with Hunk. He did need respite from the constant challenges and arguments. 

Keith decided to keep his eye on Lance the entire day. He needed to research more about this strange behavior.

_ (iii) _

Keith was bored. Usually, he would knock on Shiro’s door and hang out with him or play some games with the others, but today was a slow day. With Hunk and Pidge barring the door to their lab, claiming their experiment was explosive in nature and Shiro and Allura scouring maps and making battle plans, Coran out of commission (only because he didn’t want to clean up the lower levels of the Castle, no matter how much Coran declared it was fun), it only left Lance.

If Keith could actually  _ find _ Lance. Last he saw, Lance had been polishing the Red Lion happily and Keith didn’t want to intrude in the spontaneous dance session Lance had broken into to impress Red. He could still feel the lion’s amusement in the back of his mind.

So, he pulled out his Luxite dagger and a cloth and started to polish it till it shone.

He didn’t know for how long he stared at the dagger, wondering how his mother was doing and wishing he hadn’t left Kosmo with her for her mission, when a sharp knock at the door snapped him out of his stupor. “Who is it?” He called out.

“Lance,” a muffled voice replied, “Can I come in?”

Conflict arose in Keith. On the one hand, Keith loved Lance’s playful company, especially when he was bored, but on the other hand, he had been lately distancing himself from Lance. His brooding over the guy made for unhealthy avoidance tactics, but it seemed Lance didn’t notice or didn’t really bother asking Keith why so far, seeing as he’s here now as well.

Nonetheless, he allowed Lance in his room. He doubted he could ever say no to Lance. He walked in quietly, a small bag in his hand. He pulled the blanket off the bed and folded it up, putting in on the floor before he settled himself on the makeshift pillow, his back resting against the bunk and his head just next to Keith’s leg.

Keith’s hand kept polishing his dagger, but he was watching Lance zip open the bag from under his lashes, brows pinching when Lance pulled out nail clippers, polish, a nail file, and a ton of other bottles and creams Keith had trouble naming.

“What’s that?” Keith asked gruffly.

Lance looked up, sharply clipping at his nails. His face was serene, brows relaxed and lips smooth and glossy. For a second, Keith wondered how he managed to make them look so plump and kissable, but the thought was quickly pushed away for something more curious.

“Doing my nails,” Lance replied, pausing long enough to look up at Keith innocently. “Wanna try it?”

Was he playing a joke? He looked sincere enough. Keith shook his head and returned to his dagger. He expected Lance to push him more, whine a bit, maybe throw a tantrum if he felt generous, but Lance accepted his choice and went to work on his own nails, trimming and filing quietly.

Keith didn’t want to admit the silence got to him. Like some creeping serpent that crawled up and squeezed him breathless.

When Keith had finished with his dagger, Lance showed no sign of leaving and Keith was way too awkward to kick him out. So, he just laid on his side, arm propped up as he watched Lance work. Lance hadn’t commented on it, surprisingly. He just smiled at Keith and turned his attention to his nails. Keith buried his face in his elbow, letting his bangs fall over his eyes.

Lance’s blue eyes flicked up for a moment, studying him and if that wasn’t the most unnerving three seconds of Keith’s life, trying to figure out what the hell went on in his head. He dipped his finger in a container of cream and began rubbing it around his fingers. “You should get your hair trimmed,” he suggested. “I’m surprised it doesn’t get in the way when you fight.”

The break in the silence made Keith stiffen. “I’m used to it. I see…through it.” It didn’t make sense, but it did to Keith. He winced at the comment Lance would make.

“Planning on growing it longer?”

Huh. No argument, then? Keith frowned. “I don’t know.”

“You’d look nice with your hair in a long ponytail.” Lance pursed his lips before asking, “You think when the Galra age, they bald like humans?”

Keith cocked his head. “Huh… I don’t know. Zarkon’s been here 10,000 years but we’ve never seen under his helmet.”

“Think we can make it a side mission? First one to remove his helmet gets bragging rights.”

“Is that all? I’d think coming close to him would warrant at least passing off chores.” Keith snickered as Lance shook his head with a smile. “Too scared, Sharpshooter?”

“Hell no,” Lance levelled him with a raised brow, determined. “If I un-helmet Zarkon, I want to teleport through the Black Lion.”

“But you can’t fly him.”

“Oh, you’ll be there, but I’ll be sitting at the seat. Black will allow it, I’m sure.”

Keith propped himself up, watching Lance pack up the items in his bag. “And where will I sit.”

“Hm… if you want, we can share.”

Okay, Keith isn’t gonna overthink this. If he thinks about sharing a seat fit for one person, it means either Lance is gonna sit on his lap or he’s gonna sit on Lance’s lap, and both notions are strong enough to make him a little breathless. If Lance sits on his lap, Keith won’t be able to concentrate long enough to teleport because he’ll be stuck to seeing the nape of Lance’s neck and the little short hair there and his little butt resting on his thighs. If he’s on Lance, then fuck it all. He’s a dead man if Lance so much as breathes down his neck.

He’s overthinking this!

Lance, having gone quiet after Keith stopped talking, was done with his little bag and was resting there, humming. Keith’s mouth parted as if to say something. He wanted to ask him why he was being quiet. Why he hung out with Keith. Why he hadn’t so much as instigated an argument.

Wait, was this another bonding moment?

“It’s almost dinner. Wanna come with me and steal some of Hunk’s food?” The smile Lance sent him; soft blue eyes made Keith’s cheeks flush.

Without a word, Keith got up and walked with Lance, stopping to let him dispose of his bag in his room before they went to dinner. Lance was loud and quirky then.

Keith was more confused than ever.

_ (iv) _

Now Keith took pride in his body. He was fit and strong all because of his strict training workout. He didn’t take kindly to being interrupted, because once he lost his concentration, he might get irritated, and might be embarrassed because he really didn’t like being watched. It made his skin crawl.

So, mid-fight with a training bot that was out to decapitate him, Keith heard the swish of the training doors open, and he assumed it was Shiro. No one else was brave enough to interrupt him. Keith grit his teeth and slammed his foot against the metal of the bot, taking reprieve in the point five seconds of the bot adjusting itself to deliver another blow to the boy.

Goosebumps rose on his skin. He was being watched. Why wasn’t Shiro saying anything? Was he standing there, scrutinizing him to find his flaws? Keith felt a blunt pain flare up on his side and he growled, bangs falling over his eyes as he tackled the bot, maybe imagining it was Shiro’s face.

If it wasn’t clear before, being watched agitated Keith.

“End training sequence,” Keith called out, kicking at the bot before spinning on his heel to tell Shiro off.

Only it  _ wasn’t _ Shiro. In the corner where seats were fixed, and his Luxite blade, belt, and jacket were draped, sat Lance. Well, he was sitting on the floor beside the items, a tablet and a stylus in hand, concentrating on the screen, tongue poking out cutely.

Keith made to say something, but then Lance looked up, tilting his head. “Why’d you stop?” He pulled his sleeves up, and only then Keith realized why Lance looked extra cute. He was wearing one of Hunk’s yellow sweaters, hanging too large on his lean frame, sleeves draping past his fingers, collar slipping to reveal sharp, caramel collarbones, and  _ fuck _ , Keith imagined what Lance would look like in  _ his _ clothes.

Wait a minute. This was a sign. Keith knew this meant something--shit, what was it?

Lance always wore Hunk’s large sweaters… to feel comfort. Usually he’d hug Hunk, but this was the next best option, and now Lance was feeling bad enough to need comfort. 

Thickly, Keith swallowed, pushing back his bangs as he walked to Lance, who held up a water packet which Keith grabbed and sipped on, eyeing Lance like he was a bomb about to go off. Up close, Lance’s hair was wet and curly against the nape of his neck, and the urge to press his nose there was overwhelming. 

Keith sucked in a breath, going closer to Lance and trying to peek at the screen of the device. His heart rate picked up when he caught the soft scent of coconut and ocean. “What are you doing here?”

Lance looked up from his tablet, blinking owlishly. He pressed his tablet to his chest, cheeks turning red. “Uh… I got bored.”

Keith’s brow quirked up. “And you came here. In a training room. To  _ not _ train?”

Defensively, Lance hugged himself making sure the tablet was out of sight. This was a much more different silence than the others, where then he seemed more content. Here, Lance looked upset.

“Didn’t have anywhere else to go,” Lance mumbled, gaze on his shoes.

“What about Hunk or Pidge?” Keith asked, settling down next to Lance, leaning his head against the bench as he drank the rest of his water. He swiped his bangs away from his face to notice Lance shift closer, just an inch. Oh, the butterflies were back.

Lance shrugged, tapping at the empty screen of the tablet nervously. “They’re busy and I needed to be around people for some time.”

“And you came  _ here _ ?”

Oh,  _ oh _ , fuck,  _ wrong _ thing to say.

Lance’s head snapped up, a hurt look on his face as he chewed on his lip. “Was I disturbing you, too? Sorry, I’ll just - uh, go.”

Keith’s hand snatched his wrist before Lance could move. “No! You—you don’t need to go.” Lance sat still and silent and it was throwing Keith  _ off _ . This wasn’t right! “Are you okay?”

Lance slowly loosened his grip on his tablet and unlocked it, showing it to Keith as if he was unsure.

There was a picture of a family—Lance’s family—all standing happily and smiling. Lance pointed to one woman who looked so unlike Lance except for the same, rich brown curly hair. With her fair skin and plump body and bright smile, she was exactly what Keith pictured as Lance’s loving mother. “Your mom?” He guessed.

Lance nodded, biting on his lip again. “It’s Mami’s birthday today. I was planning on taking a leave from the Garrison to surprise her.” He smiled, but it was wobbly. “She will not be celebrating it… because of me. She probably thinks I’m dead.”

Keith watched as Lance seemed to go through a sudden change from the pained look to furious blinking before his shoulders dropped. Keith didn’t know a mother’s love, didn’t know what it felt like to be in Lance’s shoes, but this looked so painful. Keith drew closer until their shoulders touched.

Lance perked up, a too-bright smile on his face as he said, “But, hey, when we do get to Earth, she’ll be happy, right? I’m sure she’ll love you more than me and well, she’ll complain we look skinny and feed us until we get sick!”

His heart picked up at the thought of meeting Lance’s family. However -

Without thinking, his hand cupped Lance’s smooth cheek. Lance fell silent again, startled as Keith narrowed his eyes. “Don’t smile like that. Not in front of me.”

Keith wondered just how many times he had not noticed Lance using a fake smile around the others.

He expected Lance to back away, to push his hand away and snap,  _ something _ , but then Lance was pinning him with his gaze, blue eyes filling with tears before they were blinked back. He slowly nodded as the smile dropped. Keith pulled his hand away, curling it into a fist because all he could now feel was Lance’s skin, warm and soft.

“Sorry,” Lance mumbled. He swiped at his tablet until a white page showed up, with figures scrawled in it. He showed it to Keith. Those figures were in fighting poses Keith recognized, ones he practiced regularly. In the corner was a small body with an extra-large head, a mullet drawn precisely, with wide eyes and a deep frown.

Lance scratched the back of his neck. “Like I said, I was bored, needed to get my mind off her. Thought it’d be fun to draw.”

Now art, Keith could work with. He’d drawn enough mothman and lion figures for his conspiracy board back on earth to be familiar with it. 

Settling himself comfortably against Lance, he held his hand out and Lance dropped the stylus in his palm, brows knitted, until Keith drew a figure next to the large-headed one, making it have a pointy chin and shorter hair, big eyes, and a nice smile. “I know we aren’t a replacement for your family, but we’re here for you, too. And I’ll make sure we go home to your mom. We can celebrate her birthday then.”

When Keith looked up again, Lance was staring at him, surprised and a small smile creeping on his lips, the tips of his ears pink. Keith tossed back the stylus and clapped Lance on the shoulder, getting up to his feet to continue his training. “I don’t mean to kick you out, but I get nervous when I train in front of someone and—”

“Say no more,” Lance replied, climbing to his feet and gathering his stuff before walking out. Just as he reached the door, Lance turned and smiled. “Thanks, Keith.”

Keith felt something turn in his stomach, a squeeze of his heart at the sweet man who left the deck. He exhaled sharply, shaking his head.

“Start training level eight.”

_ (v) _

Keith realized a few things within the next couple of weeks.

Number One: Lance was more silent than usual, not noticeable unless you were looking for it. He had to give credit where it’s due, Lance knew how to make everyone look past him with well-placed jokes and dramatics. But beyond that, Keith noticed the smile wobbling on Lance’s lips, the dimness in his ocean blue eyes, sometimes even the smallest curl of his fingers that sent alarms blaring through Keith’s head.

Number Two: Keith has been paying a ton more attention towards the Red Paladin, and  _ Shiro _ has noticed. He always smirks at Keith when he’s been staring at Lance for too long, maybe a wink here and there that makes Keith’s blood pressure rise.

Number Three: Lance was acting sweeter towards Keith. There was bickering but only light-hearted. When they went out to fight in the lions, Lance was the first to fight by Keith’s side and watch his back, and while that’s usual, it was without much snark and with more “good job, team leader,” and “nice call, Zarkon and his helmet are next.” Lance smiled more at Keith, the soft, genuine kinds that made Keith’s heart flutter dangerously. Lance also liked to hang out around Keith and spar with him when Lance usually spent time with Team Punk.

Number Four: Keith liked Lance. It wouldn’t be an issue if he wasn’t conflicted 24/7. He liked Lance, he wanted to kiss Lance, cuddle with him, make him happy in every way, but what made him think Lance liked  _ him _ ?

Lance smiled at everyone. Joked and laughed and hung out with literally everyone on the team. Keith was the only one late to that party. So, what made him so different from the others in Lance’s eyes? Could Keith risk their camaraderie by exposing his feelings?

Ah, his mortal enemy, feelings, scores a point. Damn you, feelings.

He would’ve used Shiro as his personal therapist, but no way in hell would Shiro let it go once he knew. And Keith hated teasing.

So, that begs to answer the question: what was Keith Kogane going to do next?

He spent an entire afternoon in the training room battling it out with a gladiator, mentally picturing it was his feelings he was kicking in the face. Once he was drained, it was dinner time, so he took a quick shower and joined everyone in the dining room, flopping down tiredly, trying to concentrate on the ache in his bones rather than the fact Lance strolled in a minute later with a wave and a cheery “hey, paladudes!”

Keith tried not to find it endearing.

Hunk, from the kitchen area, called out, “Lance, mind helping me dish out the food?”

Lance hurried over and Keith could hear him joking with his best friend. Allura and Coran were already in their designated spots, and then the doors slid open to reveal Shiro dragging Pidge in, scolding her about resting her eyes. When they sat across from Keith, both of them stopped their argument to fix Keith with expectant looks. Keith, in turn, scraped at the surface of the table with his fingernails.

Shiro cleared his throat. “So, Keith. How was training?”

“Good.” Oh, god, Shiro had that glint in his eyes. Pidge looked just as devious next to him.

Pidge quirked a brow. “A little birdie told me something interesting about you, Keith. About a crush?”

Keith narrowed his eyes, pushing his bangs away from his eyes and scratching at the table again, earning a sharp screech from the surface that made Shiro’s eye twitch. He had a victory in something, at least. “Is that what we call Shiro these days? Because we can also call him a dick.”

Shiro scoffed but Pidge didn’t seem deterred. “You aren’t denying it.”

“I’m mature like that,” Keith replied. Everything in him screamed,  _ don’t make it obvious, don’t let them know you’re dying on the inside. _

Pidge only grinned. “I’m surprised you haven’t made a move yet.”

“Why would I ever do that? He isn’t interested.”

“If that’s what you think, sure,” Shiro said carefully, “But Lance has been seeking you out a lot these days.”

Keith raised a brow. “Because his friends kick him out when he seeks them.” Pidge paused, question in her eyes. “He doesn’t want to say it but even I can see he’s feeling pretty bad his own friends don’t want to hang out with him.”

Something akin to guilt flashed in Pidge’s eyes, as if she’s realizing what he’s talking about. The barred doors, the way Lance said ‘am I disturbing you, too?’ like someone had already called him a disturbance, the way he’s barely hanging out with them because he realized that he can’t keep trying; his hope was let down time and again. 

It kept her silent and Shiro pondering in concern, as if now, only when Keith mentioned it do they notice. How long would they have gone without noticing before Lance gets really bad? Family isn’t supposed to be like that, and Keith never even had a family, so why’s he the only one noticing this shit?

Luckily for them, Hunk and Lance barreled in, arms laden with plates of food that they distributed around the table. Lance rounded the table before dropping a plate at his own place, fixed Keith with a sweet smile and put a plate down in front of the Black Paladin. It didn’t end there.

No, Lance had to make things difficult for Keith’s poor heart, as if the smile hadn’t made his heart throb. Lance touched Keith’s shoulder and commented, “Got you extra to eat. You trained a lot more today, Mullet.”

Keith practically licked the bowl clean.

After dinner, Lance and Hunk cleared up the plates and the others retired to the lounge, sprawling around comfortably. It was at least a weekly occurrence for all of them to be in the same room after dinner—thanks to Lance—and Keith took the corner of the couch no one liked because of the direct air current over his head. He brought out his tablet to pick up on an Altean novel he had left off earlier.

Hunk strolled in and threw himself next to Pidge, who instantly enveloped him in a soft-spoken conversation, glancing at Keith every once in a while. Keith hoped they’d figure things out now that he’s got the ball rolling. 

Lance came next. Now, Keith wasn’t dumb. Sure, he couldn’t do math so great and social cues were merely a myth to him. But he knew that with seven people in that room and three huge, long couches, Lance had his pick of a seat in every one of those couches where he could stretch his entire body and still not be able to touch anyone.

So, imagine Keith’s surprise when Lance walked over deliberately towards Keith. He had four seconds to reason with himself: Lance maybe wants a corner of his own couch. Fine, not an issue.

But Lance kept walking. Did he not get the agenda?  _ Pick any seat, stop coming towards me _ , Keith panicked,  _ please, don’t do this to my gay heart. _

Lance sat next to Keith, not leaving any gap as their shoulders pressed. He brought his long legs up and curled them underneath him, leaning against Keith, humming, head leaning over to watch the screen of the novel. 

Keith was as stiff as a pole. He knew the others were watching as Lance made himself comfortable, eyes fluttering close, using Keith as a personal pillow. Lance was warm, soft, and light. It was literally what Keith dreamed cuddling with Lance would be like, because it felt perfect. Their bodies fitted like the right puzzle pieces, Lance’s breath against his neck was hot and sweet.

He could only hope his heart wasn’t beating as loud as it was in his ears.

Lance mumbled into his neck, “You doing okay?”

Keith’s heart skipped a beat and his face flushed hotly with embarrassment. 

Allura’s soft giggle towards them spun him into action.

With a sharp hiss, he pulled away from Lance, ignoring the stab of guilt at Lance’s confused face. And then Keith said, harsher than he intended, “What the hell are you doing?”

He could’ve been more eloquent. Kinder. Less like he was kicking a puppy in the face.

Something hurt flashed across Lance’s face, mouth frowning, brows knitting as he whispered, “Oh.”

Oh. That ‘oh’ sounded like it could kill Keith, because it was broken, choked, and nothing that should’ve ever come out of Lance’s mouth.

Keith’s eyes grew wide. “Wait-”

Despite the fact Keith had told Lance before to never fake a smile in front of him, Lance’s lips stretched, wobbly. “Sorry.” He then yawned and announced, “I’m heading to bed. ‘Night, guys.”

And Lance walked straight out, leaving Keith sitting on the couch with the most lost look, his heart feeling like it was stretched thin. “Wait…” 

“Dude, not to tell you what to do, but… you shouldn’t have said that,” Pidge said, her hazel eyes boring holes into Keith’s head.

Hunk sat up, worriedly watching as Keith faced him. “Lance hasn’t come to me for hugs in weeks.” He said it with a whisper of hurt, concern. 

“Okay, obviously you’re not getting it,” Shiro muttered, snapping his fingers to get Keith’s attention. In all honesty, Keith’s brain had turned to mush. “Lance was looking for comfort. From  _ you _ .”

Allura hummed. “You are the Black Paladin, Keith. Lance looks up to you for some  _ strange _ reason.”

“Thanks, Allura.”

“Nonetheless, Lance did look like he was comfortable with you. Even though Hunk would’ve been the obvious option,” Coran said.

So why would he come to Keith suddenly?

Or maybe, it  _ wasn’t _ sudden? Keith recalled every time Lance came to him, sat beside him, joked with him. Every time Lance would offer to spar with Keith until Keith was comfortable enough to just let Lance hang out while he kicked gladiators around. Lance would clap Keith’s back after a mission well done.

And the  _ smiles _ . Lance wouldn’t grin widely. He would share secret smiles with Keith when they were alone.

With his throat feeling like it was choking, Keith said thickly, “But he’s never done that…” Never that close, never that bold. 

“Beats us,” Pidge said bluntly. “I mean, I hypothesize one reason, but I thought Lance would’ve taken a different approach.”

“Why would Lance seek comfort?” Coran asked suddenly.

Keith knew the answer to that. He could fit together the different pieces from every moment spent with Lance. “He misses home.”

Hunk cleared his throat. “Yeah, Lance loves his family to death. But he did mention it got a little better, and I assumed it was because you guys were hanging out more.” He pursed his lips as Keith fixed his gaze on the Yellow Paladin, urging him to continue. “And he was pretty vague, but he seemed very taken with you.”

Allura gasped loudly, making everyone turn to her. “Is that why Lance stopped flirting with me suddenly?”

A flare of something hot struck up in Keith’s stomach. He rubbed his sweaty palms, realizing he’s gonna have to make a move. 

_ (vi) _

“You gonna sit there all day, or are you going to comfort your boyfriend?” Hunk asked, brows raised.

With a glare around the room, mostly at Hunk and Pidge who seemed to understand what it said perfectly: ‘once I’m done, it’s your turn to fix your relationships with him,’ Keith left to find Lance. He made his way to Lance’s room and was lucky enough to find him there.

Lance was curled up in his bed, back facing Keith as he played with the string of his green jacket. When he saw Keith, he frowned. “Hey, Keith.”

Keith stalked forward, pulled up Lance’s blanket and slid in behind him, ignoring the race of his heart as he curled himself around Lance, slinging an arm across his waist and pressing his chest to Lance’s back.

Lance went still. Then, shakily, wetly, he asked, “What are you doing?”

Nuzzling into the back of Lance’s neck, Keith sighed, almost smiling at the shudder of Lance’s body. “I don’t know,” he whispered, “I just realized you needed me, and I was pretty shitty in helping you out.”

Lance’s fingers pressed against his near his stomach. Keith gently intertwined them. Lance was shaking now, and Keith pressed a kiss to the nape of his neck. “I’m sorry, Lance.”

Then Lance was pulling away and the warmth was sorely missed. But a second later, he was rolling over to face his leader, blue eyes shining. “You—you don’t owe me anything, Keith,” Lance said, pressing his lips in a vain attempt to avoid sobbing. “It’s just been a pretty shitty day… week and it just boiled over today for some reason.”

Keith slowly opened his arms. For a second, Lance stared, unsure, and it’s the same lost look Keith had the moment Lance snuggled up to him because it was new--but Lance had a better reaction, and dug into him just as carefully, letting Lance cry out his frustration and anger and sadness onto his shirt. Keith held him through it, rubbing his back until Lance recovered. 

“I’m sorry for snapping at you,” Keith admitted. “But I want to know; why me, Lance?”

Lance looked up, letting Keith wipe his tears away from flushed cheeks. “I don’t know. It just happened. You listen to me, and I feel needed around you.” He swallowed roughly, averting his gaze from Keith’s. “Didn’t know I needed  _ you _ until you had left for the Blade. I got lonely, and when you came back, I was happy again. You treated me like an equal; not  _ Goofball Lance _ or  _ Loverboy Lance _ . Just Lance from Cuba, and you made me feel like it was all I needed to be a Paladin. Any moment with you felt so right.”

Keith understood that feeling. Nights spent alone at the Blade, missions that just didn’t have the same morale, and then coming back and just existing with Lance seemed like everything was right again.

“My family is big and being stuck in a small house, you’re never alone. It’s so different here, and it feels wrong having a room to myself, being alone in this huge castle. Hunk and Pidge have each other, and Shiro usually stays with Allura and don’t get me started on Coran.”

Keith chuckled with Lance. He felt Lance shrug against him, pushing his head to curl against Keith’s neck, so intimately, but it felt so  _ right _ .

“It feels right with you,” Lance echoed his thoughts. “Always does.”

He pulled up Lance by the chin gently, and watching the blush spread down his neck made him smile. “That’s because we make a good team,” Keith said, and he laid a kiss on his mouth, short and sweet. He didn’t doubt his feelings or Lance’s. Because like he said:  _ it always feels right with you. _

For a second, Lance froze. Then, he smiled. It was brilliant and blinding. He hugged Keith tightly, pressing a kiss to his lips, humming happily. Keith stroked his warm back, exchanging lazy kisses as Lance said, “You’re cradling me in your arms again.”

“You gonna forget this one, too?” Keith snorted, but he was still smiling at Lance, memorizing the way he looked, because his shining blue eyes, the scrunch in his nose, the  _ smile _ ; it was everything Keith wanted for Lance.

“Ugh, you’re impossible,” Lance groaned, moving to roll off Keith, but the Black Paladin gripped him tightly, snuggling further with him. “Are you always this cuddly?”

Keith scowled. “If you don’t like it, get off.”

“I was trying to, but your death grip is kind of impossible to get out of.”

There was that blooming feeling again. Bickering felt right, and it seemed Lance realized that, too, because then they were kissing again, soft and slow. Lance’s lips were so soft, and when his tongue darted out to lick Keith’s lips, the Black Paladin sighed, lips parting as Lance’s tongue slipped in, brown fingers curling in his dark hair, body pliant when Keith let his hand roam under his shirt, feeling the bumps of the starburst scarring on Lance’s back. Lance shivered when he traced it with his fingernail, parting for breath.

Keith sighed dreamily. “If you told me this before I had Voltron, I wouldn’t have understood. I probably would’ve punched you for rubbing it in my face—”

“Fair enough.”

“—but I get it, Lance,” Keith said, kissing Lance’s cheek and had the joy of watching his ears turn pink. “I get it because of you.”

*

A couple of months later, when Keith charged at Zarkon and Lance had a near heart-attack with how tiny he was compared to the Emperor, Keith was mid-combat when a shot aung out, sharp and precise, smacking into Zarkon’s helmet and knocking it off his head. In the skirmish, Lotor gave his father the finishing blow, but that hadn’t mattered in the slightest. 

He was bald. 10,000 years will do that to a Galran.

And when Keith looked back, Lance was there perched in his sniper’s nest, bayard smoking and a smirk on his lips. 

Keith sat on his lap. They didn’t teleport too far before Keith turned around and kissed him until he was breathless.


End file.
